Why fewer tourists are going to Thailand - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM

World number 1 destination is now China !

Wife is American Lao. We go to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. We spent the most money in Laos and Vietnam because it way cheaper.

Because the Thai government wants to reduce the number of tourists but increase the spending of those who do come by offering a better quality product with less over-tourism

They are focusing on people spending 2400$ per day short term high value tourist. Basically they saying they don't want you there unless your spending 2400 per day or above on vacation. I have traveled all over the world and have never spent 2400 per day on shopping and tourism unless it's property or land big purchases. You can't do that there besides own a condo. So how do they want high value tourist there are only so many massages and trinkets you can buy along with food and tours. Nice place to visit but that's it. I can't get over seeing it say they don't want regular tourist but high value it makes me feel like im nothing but a walking atm and if i don't look a certain way or have millions I would be looked down on take notes ppl. You have Phillipines and Malaysia much better spots for just vacationing and less visa and immigration hassle like thailand

Wow! I didn’t know songkran festival had roots in the hindu festival of Makar Sankranti

If Thailand treated their animals better I’d be more apt to spend money visiting.

Even in Philippines. Siargao are pest by Israelis they harass locals

Assigned to Thailand for 18 years. Poor guy! I bet he begged his boss to send him back!

Two weeks of food poisoning. Who wants that?

Tried it, system was abused, reeled it back in. Lack of genuine tourists is a separate (global) issue .

I’ve visited Thailand many times with my wife. Despite many locals trying to con you out of your money it used to seem like an exotic and exciting location. I’ve always loved it. Nowadays the main hubs are just cookie cutter malls with Starbucks etc. it’s lost a bit of charm.

Nice and cheap ...and can do whatever you want no need to care Thai culture 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Tourism allways destroys the host...

C'mon, who are you trying to fool. It's not about behavior. But Jonathan is right when he says it is about the perception that the government is doing something for the Thai people. It's optics, not some drunk kid, having a fight in Pattaya...who will have his fight whether he's on vacation a week or a month or longer.

Closing down the illegal business is fine, but let's not forget that these people were told they could run that business via a loophole establishment by Thai lawyers and accepted by the government. Now, those people have been imprisoned, their lives destroyed, and whatever assets they had, 'confiscated' by Thai officials. The very least a civilized justice system would have done, considering many of these owners were married or even had Thai kids, is fine them and offer a legal work-around. Throwing them in prison is barbaric.

And barbarism isn't a good look. Very few people go to Thailand to break the law. Most bring money to invest. No one claims benefits. They bring money and that money is spent on Thai-owned businesses. In some parts of cities, this foreign money props up entire communities. The DTV is a great idea, but it's not for people who are married to Thais, long-term expats. And people are already saying it's unstable, with many people leaving and not being allowed back in. This would never happen in Europe.

And considering that if you are married to a Thai person and even have children, you still cannot own anything, or even, (though it's usually ignored) legally invest or do some work online in another country, well, the rules are crazy, They were written in the 1970s. The world has changed. In what sane world would a married person not be legally allowed to earn money from abroad and spend it in Thailand. How does that benefit Thailand?

That's the issue. The rules need reforming, but the only time foreigners hear about changes, it is negative. It makes life harder, not easier. Meanwhile, Thais happily move to Europe and are accepted as citizens within three or four years, with full rights. My Thai friend the other day told me she is leaving her British partner and suing him for half of the value of his property under British laws. She has been there four years, and has a passport. In Thailand, you can work legally for 40/50/60 years, have children, and if you are not married and lose your job, you become illegal again. A tourist. Get out. How is that fair? And gaining citizenship, or residency, has been made almost impossible, so no one bothers.

The world is becoming a world of movement, where brains and ideas and money now travel. With low birth rates, countries will want to attract ideas, stability, babies.. Yet, Thailand only wants rich foreigners only. It makes it almost impossible to bring an idea and start a business. I totally understand that Thailand wants to retain its Thainess (wish the West would consider that) and that it doesn't want foreigners running much of the local business (never big business. Thai monopolies won't allow competition) but it could ease up on the rules. It already scared the first wave of digital nomads away, many of whom (some I know) started businesses from the ground up in other countries. It's not as if Thailand is inviting broke and angry young men who want to claim welfare and gain entrance into free hotels. Despite the occasional idiot, Thailand has some of the best immigrants in the world who come with money, ideas, and a will to work hard. I say, let them flourish. Especially if they are married!

Aussies were staying under the radar until a moron truck driver from WA decided that 500 baht (roughly 25AUD or 15USD) was worth a 17-year old Thai girl's life. He could face the death penalty but sadly we can't put brains into statues.

Too many russians